BUSINESS Back to Business When it comes to returning to the workplace as state lockdowns ease, one of the big issues businesses confront is a shortage of personal proRoni Robbins tective equipment such as masks, gloves, hand sanitizer, cleaning supplies and for some, isolation gowns to keep their employees safe from the virus. The AJT, like other businesses, has struggled to find PPE, according to Kaylene Ladinsky, managing publisher and editor. “Everything is back-ordered by three or four weeks,” she said. To keep up with requests for PPE, a national healthcare consultant, who helps durable medical equipment firms and others comply with government regulations and billing issues, joined forces with a company that specializes in making and importing orthotic braces. The two Atlanta-based businesses, Jane’s Healthcare Management and Unite Medical, are using Georgia manufacturers to help satisfy the demand for PPE in the state. Their PPE business has tripled since starting in early March, when the shelter-in-place mandates in the country began. They provide a variety of hand sanitizers, masks, face shields and isolation gowns, which are more protective than typical hospital gowns, repel secretions and are used in medical applications, restaurants and salons, she said. “From the very beginning a lot of clients were asking me where to get PPE,” said Jane Wilkinson-Bunch, CEO
of her eponymous healthcare management firm. She speaks and consults nationally in her field of expertise. “I had a captive audience I knew I could help. The whole reason was to help my providers stay safe.” Many of her clients, at that time, were essential healthcare businesses that wanted to protect their employees according to FDA and CDC regulations. Some were from other states that were not yet on lockdown, she said. Since then, her business has expanded to include restaurants and hair salons “just trying to survive the pandemic,” and according to the CDC, that’s going to be for quite a while, she said. “We want to make sure we take care of our own. This is the reason we really got into this,” she said of the PPE business she formed with United Medical owner Damon Reed to meet the needs of local companies. We at the AJT had been back to our office for two weeks as part of the national effort to return to work after the global pandemic shuttered businesses and forced employees to work from home. Despite vigilant disinfecting, the use of masks and gloves, and access to hand sanitizer at every turn – with most employees in their own individual offices – some employees expressed concerns about returning too soon. I should add that our building, owned by Selig Enterprises, also required masks while inside with signs throughout to maintain distancing, offer hand washing recommendations and limit numbers in bathrooms and elevators. To offer employees further peace of mind, AJT Owner-Publisher Michael Morris sprung for the top-of-the-line
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Dr. Ajala Ngarndi, The I.V. Doc Atlanta division medical director, helps record for registered nurse Anna John.
testing service by The I.V. Doc, a New York-based company with U.S. and international offices formed in 2013 to offer I.V. hydration through personalized medically administered treatment. The company had just started its Atlanta office in November, three months before COVID-19 gripped America. To meet the needs of its clients, it expanded in April to offer testing for the virus. The AJT was the first in Atlanta to receive their in-office COVID-19 testing services. Ladinsky said the I.V. Doc reached out to her about using their services, and she thought it was a “great option to make sure the staff felt comfortable in their work environment. It gives them that much more reassurance that we are taking the extra step.” The process was quite simple. On Tuesday, June 2, we were told about the testing and the next day, The I.V. Doc asked us not to eat or drink for 30 minutes before our appointment. We either signed up online for a time slot to be prescreened or were asked a series of questions prior to our individual testing. The screening questions included an assessment of significant medical history, current symptoms and medications, travel outside the country and any known exposure to anyone who had tested positive for the virus. I had none of each. Soon after arriving in our office, a masked and gloved Dr. Ajala Ngarndi, The I.V. Doc Atlanta division medical director, and a registered nurse, set up a makeshift medical testing site in our conference room. They used germicidal wipes to clean the table, then laid a disposable pad as an extra barrier of pro-
tection under my arm and began the process of testing. First, I was asked to fill out a form with basic information and again state my symptoms, agree for the results to be used for research purposes and sign the standard Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) health information use and discloser consent form. The medical duo then took a vial, 3 ml of my blood, to be tested for antibodies, generated by the body in response to COVID-19 infection. This test can be used to determine recent or past exposure, which tends to offer protection from the virus, but doesn’t mean you’re immune for the rest of your life, according to The I.V. Doc website. The results, sent to the Access Medical Labs in Florida, are received back in as little as 48 hours. If the viral swab test is positive, someone who is asymptomatic could potentially spread virus, Ngarndi said. She recommends quarantining at home for 14 days before being retested. “If the patient exhibited symptoms, treatment would be focused on controlling the symptoms such as fever, muscle aches. There is no FDA approved medication proven to directly cure the COVID-19 infection, but research is still ongoing. If symptoms were severe, such as acute shortness of breath, the patient would be recommended to the ER for medical assessment.” The company typically sends a hard copy in the mail or in a sealed envelope delivered to the office. We received copies sent by secured encrypted email fol-
